Local historian Peter Machan, well known to Stumperlowe Probus Club members, brought along the three-part book he has written, entitled The Little Mesters – The Rise, Decline and Survival of Sheffield’s Traditional Trades. Ominously, some may say, the title of his latest presentation to us (above) was suffixed with a question mark, because the next chapter in the well-chronicled story of Sheffield’s little mesters is still in some doubt, as Peter explained on his third visit to us. Peter is, however, optimistic for the future.
The story so far is summed up in the three sections of Peter’s book. Part one tells the story of the traditional Sheffield trades from their early rural roots, their Victorian heyday and dramatic collapse in the late 20th century. In a series of guided tours around the inner city’s ‘Cutlery Quarter,’ part two explores what remains of the factories and workshops of the cutlers, telling their history and discovering the craftsmen (and women) who worked there.
Part three presents a unique survey of the Sheffield trades as they stand today; the surviving manufacturers of tableware, silverware and ‘edge’ tools and the small, independent craftspeople who continue to take pride in upholding the traditional values.
Peter’s interest in the subject, he explained, started in his childhood. His father Albert was one of Sheffield’s many razor blade manufacturers, trading as Maxan (‘Start the day right with Maxan,’ as the advertising went). “He was very good at making them, but rubbish at selling them,” Peter explained. From there, Peter’s father moved to the still well-known firm of Swann Morton, who to this day are world renowned manufacturers of surgical scalpels, still selling a mind boggling one and a half million blades every day.
“I was a regular visitor to the Owlerton works because my father would often take me with him on Saturday mornings,” Peter explained. “I was so fascinated by the sights, the sounds and, above all, the smell, that they have remained with me to this day.”
However, the enormous success that Swann Morton has continued to enjoy over the last half century is by no means typical of the many traditional cutlery firms in the city. Whilst Swann Morton embraced innovative technology and developed new product lines, others stagnated due to low levels of investment, poor management and outdated organisation as the Sheffield steel industry in general was all but wiped out by foreign competition.
Of the 30,000 people who worked in the cutlery and silverware trades at the time of the Second world War, less than 3,000 remained by the 1970s.
“While it’s true that compared to 50 years ago the industry is considerably slimmed down, it is by no means dead,” Peter averred. The Sheffield name is still highly regarded around the world, especially in the USA, and the small manufacturers who survive retain craftspeople who uphold the finest traditions of their trade. Most of the traditional skills of them Sheffield cutlers and silversmiths are still practised in factories and workshops around the city.
Three editions of Peter’s book have already been published, and a reprint is currently under way. They are published by ALD Print Limited, 279 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield S11 8ZF. Telephone: 0114 267 9402.